Dad-of-two Andrew Foster, 40, was using a plasma cutter to open what he believed was a clean oil drum when it exploded.

The lid struck him with such extreme force that his face was mangled and he was near death.

Doctors put him in a medically induced coma for two weeks at King's College Hospital, south London, and he underwent more than 26 hours of surgery.

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TRAUMATIC: Wife Donna Foster spoke of the shock of being told about the incident

Highway Care Ltd in Kent was fined £660,000 for health and safety breaches.

Andrew, from Minster on Sea, Kent, was asked to take the lid off a 45-gallon oil drum for scrap metal after an apprentice had apparently cleaned it.

But there was still oil left inside and the fumes ignited, exploding in his face.

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RESTRICTED: Andrew Foster used to be active but has now lost his independence

He said: "It was August 6th, 2012 – a date I'll never forget.

"I brought the drum into the workshop as I had to cut it and it was the oil that exploded.

"I connected my leads onto the drum, and that was the last thing I knew.

"Next thing I knew, I was in hospital, and even that was really vague for me."

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BLIND: Andrew Foster can now only see the difference between dark and light

Wife Donna, 38, who works in a nursery, recalled the dread when she found out about the accident as a policeman knocked on her door.

She said: "I phoned Andrew's mum and dad up, she screamed down the phone to me and put the phone down in shock.

"Then they rang me back, we took my son to sister's and we all went to Kings College Hospital.

"When we got there, the first thing I knew I had all these doctors around me telling me it was a serious blast that had damaged his face and bones, and that the next 24 hours is going to be crucial to see if he pulls round."

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COMA: Andrew Foster was in a coma for two weeks after the horrifying incident

“The surgeon said it 'was like looking into a box of cornflakes' and didn't know where to start.”

Donna Foster

Andrew's face had been split open, with his facial bones shattered.

He was covered in blood and bandages with a tube through the open wound.

Donna said: "You hear of these things, but you never think they're going to happen to you.

"I wasn't trying to worry to much until I saw him laying there.

"The surgeon said it 'was like looking into a box of cornflakes' and didn't know where to start.

"The worst bit was that they had to put a probe onto his brain because he had this bleed, and they said in the next 24 hours we'll know where we stand."

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INJURED: Andrew Foster was blinded after the oil drum exploded

The affect on Andrew's family, including son Keenan, 17, and daughter, Kirstie, 10, has been "totally life-changing."

He said: "I've lost my independence. Even my daughter, I rely on help from her now as I can't do the simplest things.

"In the early days, I used to get very frustrated, I've had a hard time having to rely on people - I was always a very independent person."

Andrew used to enjoy an active lifestyle, coached a junior rugby team and enjoyed motorcycling.

But he can now only see the difference between light and dark and uses a cane to walk.

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MANGLED: One of Andrew's eyes was cut in half

He said: "The worst part was losing my sight and not being able to see my kids grow up.

"My son's learning to drive now and I can't take him out for lessons in his car, my wife does that.

"My daughter does competitive swimming. I go to the pool with her so she knows I'm there for her and she sees her dads face but I can't see her. To me it's torture.

"You just find ways to cope. I thought my life was over, it was a real reality shock, but it's humour that gets us through."